Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Lauren Yero, the author of
Under This Forgetful Sky, which releases in July!
Would you please describe your book, Under This Forgetful Sky, in seven words?
Star-crossed love, a dystopian quest, and SECRETS.
Did you always want to be a writer?
I did! In third grade, I wrote my first “novel”—it was about an orphaned girl on a perilous quest who teams up with another girl she meets wandering in the woods. (Spoiler alert: the girl turns out to be her long-lost sister! And they’re both actually princesses!!) It was…a little cheesy. But ever since, I’ve thought of myself as a writer. For years, I wrote poetry and short stories that I hid under my bed so no one would read them, then I went on to study literature and writing in college. I didn’t know what kind of writer I wanted to be, or what kind of audience I wanted to write for, I just knew that I wanted to write. Then one day I got an idea for a young adult novel—a story of adventure, resistance, and first love—that gripped me and wouldn’t let go. It’s dream to know that in a few months, this novel will be out in the world for readers to discover (and hopefully love)!
Random Question! What’s your favorite time of year?
It’s an even split between spring and fall. I grew up in Florida, where the seasons are “hot” and “not as hot,” so now that I live in the mountains, I’m enchanted by these in-between months when the world is in transition. Spring is especially lovely here—for a few weeks, flowers called spring ephemerals blanket the forest floor and the woods smell exactly like fresh lemons. It’s magical!
What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?
First, I’d say to try not to worry too much about the kind of writer you want to be—just write what inspires you, what troubles you, what mystifies you. Find your voice in the exploration. Also, share your work with other aspiring writers. Writing can be a lonely endeavor, and having a group of trusted writerly friends who share encouragement and fresh perspectives with each other is priceless.
And lastly, don’t give up!
What are some books you’re looking forward to reading in 2023? And if you’ve already read some ‘23 books, would you like to mention them?
This list could get absurdly long! I'm currently reading Brittany N. Williams’s THAT SELF-SAME METAL (YA historical fantasy), and it's an absolute delight! I’m eagerly awaiting so many other 2023 debuts, but a few that I’m feeling particularly excited about are Gabriela Romero Lacruz’s THE SUN AND THE VOID (epic YA fantasy inspired by South American folklore), Moses Ose Utomi’s DAUGHTERS OF ODUMA (YA fantasy inspired by West African culture), and Ari Tison’s SAINTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD (lyrical contemporary YA with Indigenous Costa Rican MCs).
There are so many wonderful books coming out this year, so definitely check out these websites for more ideas:
Author Bio: LAUREN YERO is a Cuban American writer living in the mountains of Western North Carolina. She writes speculative, near-future stories of resistance, adventure, and first love that question the structures our world is built upon. Her debut YA novel, UNDER THIS FORGETFUL SKY, comes out in July 2023 with Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.
Born in Florida, she received her BA from Davidson College and her MA in Environmental Literature from the University of Nevada Reno. Her desire to connect more deeply with her Latinx heritage led her to study and work in Spain, Argentina, Cuba, and Chile, where she drew inspiration for her debut novel.
In addition to writing, she teaches at a small farm-and-arts school in the beautiful county she calls home. She shares a small homestead with her husband, two kids, two pups, ten chickens, five geese, two ducks, and a couple hundred thousand honeybees.
